In my last post I talked about the differences between conventional and naturopathic medicine. If you didn’t get a chance to check it
out, take a look!

While comparing treatment philosophies, I mentioned that the conventional model mainly relies on pharmaceuticals while the naturopathic
model has multiple treatment options.
Was anyone curious on what those “multiple treatment options” are
exactly? In this follow up post I’ll give you a run through on some of the most
common and reliable treatment modalities. When you walk into a ND's clinic these
are the main tools that will be used to help treat a condition or to aid in the maintenance of good health.

Asian Medicine and
Acupuncture

Traditional Chinese Medicine has been around for centuries
and is what is referred to as eastern medicine.
It looks at health, wellness as well as different disease states from a
completely different perspective. It focuses on the energy or the Qi that flows
through channels in our body. The organs of Asian medicine all represent
different aspects of a person’s health and mental state. If the flow of Qi
becomes obstructed a disease state may appear and can be treated with
acupuncture or herbs to redirect the flow of energy. It is interesting to note
that there exists many parallels between Asian medicine and conventional
medicine. For more information visit the recent post from guest blogger James
Yoon.

Clinical Nutrition

Many people often underestimate proper nutrition. It is such
a powerful modality and often many presenting conditions can be treated with
nutritional changes alone, such as hypertension, high cholesterol or type 2
diabetes. NDs will guide you on a path to better eating that fits within your
individual case. Clinical nutrition also involves the prescription of
supplements, which in many cases can give the body the tools it needs to heal
itself. Supplementation becomes important when a person's diet, lifestyle (ie. athletes), or genetic factors require higher intakes of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

Botanical Medicine

Did you know that many pharmaceutical drugs originated from
plants and herbs? Active constituents in herbs have varying physiological
effects in the body and can be extracted into an alcoholic mixture called a
tincture. NDs can create a tincture formulation, which contains active
compounds from various herbs that are specific to your individual case. Tinctures are the main form in which NDs will
prescribe botanicals but they may also be taken in other forms such as teas,
pills or ointments. Botanical medicine
is much gentler on your body than traditional pharmaceuticals while producing
far less side effects.

Physical Medicine

Physical medicine involves the treatment of any
musculoskeletal issue. Many different techniques can be used such as
ultrasound, hydrotherapy, massage, manipulations and acupuncture. Exercise or
stretching prescriptions may be given to work on specific issues or can even be
designed for the maintenance of general health. Physical medicine also involves
the therapeutic effect of simple human-to-human touch. Simply being massaged or
touched by someone else can have great relaxing and calming effects. The power
behind simple touch is often underestimated.

Homeopathic Medicine

Homeopathy is by far the most controversial modality taught
in accredited naturopathic medical colleges. It has been around for centuries
and involves dosing patients with remedies, which usually come in the form of
little white pills. Homeopathic remedies can also come in other forms such as
creams or sprays. The remedy contains the
essence from whatever its source may be, which can include anything from a common herb to the light of the North
Star. Simply put this modality involves
treating like with like. In other words a homeopath would prescribe a remedy
to a sick patient who is presenting with the same symptoms that a healthy
patient would produce if they were given that same remedy. My co-blogger Nadia has a great affinity for
homeopathy and I am hoping she will post a more in depth description in future
posts. I will give you one word of advice: do not mistake a naturopathic doctor for a homeopathic doctor--we tend not to respond well that. Homeopathy is just one of many modalities NDs are trained in, while homeopathic doctors specialize in homeopathy.

Lifestyle Counselling

NDs receive a great amount of training in health psychology.
Lifestyle counseling can involve anything from implementing current
psychological theories to strategies to quit smoking. There is a big focus on
the mind-body connection, as NDs believe that the body and mind work together
as a whole and that the emotions and feelings you are experiencing can have a
profound effect on how your body manages health and disease.

As you can see, the tool belt that NDs possess to aid their
patients is quite extensive. NDs are more than well enough equipped to act as
primary health care givers and can even perform your yearly physical exam,
including PAP smears and digital rectal exams. We are fully trained to do it all!
It is also quite common for a ND to specialize in a certain area. Even though
we all receive training in the core 6 modalities mentioned above, often NDs develop
an affinity or a skill in a certain specialty. Specialties could include anything
from naturopathic oncology or gynecology to mental disorders or homeopathy.

It
is a good idea to discuss with your potential ND what their strengths are and
if their form of practicing matches up with what you will expect from their
services. Additional modalities do exist and are currently practiced by Naturopathic Doctors, but the naturopathic academic community doesn’t
necessarily find them relevant or useful enough to teach to students.

If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment! We would also love to hear what you think our next topic should be!

3
comments:

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